Holiday in Ankara

About Ankara

Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is overlooked by most travelers in favor of Istanbul — unjustly so. The city, with over five million inhabitants, is the political and cultural heart of the country and offers a fascinating mix of millennia-old history and modern urbanity. Here, one can feel the everyday life of Turkey beyond tourist staging. Anıtkabir, the monumental mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is much more than a tomb — it is the national shrine of modern Turkey and an architectural masterpiece from the 1940s. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, housed in a restored bazaar from the 15th century, contains artifacts from the Hittites to the Phrygians and is considered one of the most significant museums in the world. The Ankara Citadel (Kale) towers over the city and offers narrow streets with traditional houses, tea houses, and a panoramic view over the sea of houses stretching to the horizon. Modern Ankara is showcased in the Kızılay district with its cafes, bookstores, and universities, as well as in Çankaya with diplomatic residences and elegant parks. Culinary-wise, Ankara is famous for its döner variant — the alleged original — and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice at every street corner. As a starting point for excursions to Cappadocia (only three hours away) or to Lake Tuz Gölü, Ankara is strategically ideally located.